Centrifugal machine.



PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

J. W. MACFARLANB.

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1903.

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allow-the centrifugal machine to oscillate (as UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GNTEIFUGAL MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming partA of Letters Patent No. 758,457, dated April 26, v1904. I Application filed November 6, 1903. Serial No. 180.099. (No model.) i

To a/ZZ whom, it body concern:V I Be it known that I, JAMES WRIGHT MACEAR- LANE, a Subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Kingston, in the county of Glasgow, Scotland, (whose-postal address is 98 Dundas street, Kingston, Glasgow, Scotland) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Machines, (for which application for British Patent No. 10,034, dated May- 4, 1903, has-been made,) of which the following is a specification. Y-

My invention relates to centrifugal-machines, more particularly of the suspendedor Weston type, in. which as hitherto generally constructed the inner stationary Spindle has been rsuspended by either cylindricallyvshaped elastic buers or buffers in the form of annular disks, some of which are thicker at the outer edges than at. the center, such buffers being so made and carried that' the elements of their surfaces pass through the center of oscillation of the spindle, or the spindle has been carried by a combination of a spherical metallic bearing and a rubber buffer. rllhe purpose of these elastic media is to it tends to do when the load is not equally distributed) and at the same time to exert a certain control upon the oscillations.

YMy invention has for its object an improved means for supporting the inner spindle and controlling the Voscillations by the provision of a new form of combined elastic buffer-bear-` ing, so thatfthe machines may be run with a much greater unbalanced load than has hitherto been found possible, and also so that the compression of the buffer is automatically proportioned to the load, thus obviating thenecessity for mechanical adjustment ofthe compression as hitherto required.

According to my invention the improved form of combined elastic buffer-bearing consists, substantially, of an annular conical or conoidal rubber buffer the elements of the surfaces of which when produced do not pass through, or, in other Words, pass outside of the center of oscillation of the spindle. This buffer is carried between a counterpart conoidal collar on the spindle and a counterpart seating in the 'framing of the machine. The buffer may be in one piece, or it may be in two or more pieces, having as a whole the dethe same, in which case the interposed buffer will be of the same thickness throughout, or the angles of the collar and seating may be relatively inclined to any desired degree, so that theV thickness of the buffer varies throughout.

f My improvements may'also be used in connection with centrifugal machines of the underdriven type.

My invention may without departing from the spirit thereof be carriedout in many different ways, examples of which are shown on ings, throughout which like reference-letters indicate similar parts, and in which- Figures 1 to 4 and 6 to 1l, inclusive, are

sectional'elevations, and Fig. 5 a sectional plan of a part of the centrifugal machine sufficient to show the application of my improvements.

As shown' in Fig. 1, the improved form of' combined elastic buffer-bearing consists of an annular conical rubber A. This buffer is in a single piece and is carried between anl inverted conical collar B on the spindle C and a vcounterpart seating D in the framing E of the machine. The angles of the cones of the collar B and seating D are in this modification the same, so that the interposed buffer A is of the same thickness throughout.

A -Insteadof the buffer A being conical it may be conoidal,'as shown in Fig. 2, the bearingsurfaces 'of the collar B and seating D being of like gure, so that the buffer A is in this modification also of the same thickness throughout, or whether the buffer A is conical or conoidal the angles of the collar B and seating D may be relatively inclined to any desired degree', so that the buer A is of tapering thickness throughout, with the greatest two accompanying sheets of explanatory drawthickness at the lower end, as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, or with its greatest thickness at the upper end, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Instead of the various surfaces of the buffer A, collar B, and seating D being conical or conoidal the outline of such parts may approximate this form. For example, they may be formed with bulged or depressed parts, still retaining, however, a generally conical or conoidal outline, or the bufer A, whether conical or conoidal, maybe made in two or more pieces by dividing the annulus either circumferentially. as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 5. When the buffer A is built up of more than one part, projections G on the seating D (or it might be on the collar B) may separate the parts, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, or instead of projections separate rings or springs (not shown) may be used.

The buer A may, if desired, be supported by an inwardly-projecting iiange H on the seating D, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 8, or the collar B may have an outwardly-projecting ange J at its upper end to bear on the buffer A, as shown in Figs. 3, 9, and 10.

Figs. 1 to 10 all show the conical or conoidal buffer with its end of largest diameter upward; but in some cases its largest end may be downward, as shown in Fig. 11.

By the improved construction of buierbearing hereinbefore described not only is the spindle C supported and its oscillations controlled in an efficient manner, so that the machine may be `run with safety, though carrying a considerable unbalanced load, but also, owing to the conical shape of the buffer-bearing A, the compression of the rubber is proportional to the load, and the use of mechanical means of compression is obviated, though, if desired, such devices may be used in addition. Wear of the rubber buffer A is automatically taken up by the descent of the collar B, so that the usual tightening of the parts engaging the buffer on wear taking place is unnecessary, and as the spindle C is carried within the conical collar B by the usual nut K on vits upper end engaging the latter adjustment of the height of the spindle C, and consequently of the basket or the motor, (not shown,) can be effected without interfering with the buffer parts by simply turning the nut K. In other words, the spindle C of the centrifugal machine may be adjusted vertically without disturbing either the buffer A or the collar B.

As hereinbefore stated, I am aware that in certain machines as hitherto constructed the buffers are in the form of a pair of annular disks, thicker at the outer edges than at the center, being thus somewhat triangular in crosssection. These buffers, however, are made so that the elements of their surfaces pass through the center of oscillation of the spindle. On the other hand, the angle of what may be termed the single buffer necessary to carry out this invention must have a much smaller inclination from the vertical than the hitherto fixed direction of inclination permits. In other words, the buffers hitherto in use have been of the nature of comparatively fiat annular disks, the elements of whose surfaces passed through the center of oscillation, whereas the present invention consists in the employment of a cone approaching much more nearly to a cylinder and whose elements do not pass through the center of oscillation of the spindle.

My improvements may be applied in connection with existing machines having the known form of double annular disk-buffers by substituting for the upper one of these bufers an elastic buffer-bearing of my irnproved construction, hereinbefore described, and making the usual washer or gland tit its interior, whereby the advantages which the foregoing description of my invention discloses may be partially obtained, the buffer in this case being substantially of the form shown in Fig. 8 or that shown in Fig. 10. The usual lower annular disk-buffer may then be allowed to remain, although of little or no practical service, and this modification would enable existing machines to partially partake of the benefits of the improved form of elastic bearing hereinbefore described with a minimum of cost for alteration.

In the claims, the term conoidal is used to indicate either surfaces truly conical, or surfaces more or less curved out, at the same time approximating the conical, or surfaces which, while in a measure irregular, yet approximate generally the conical.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In centrifugal machines, an elastic buffer-bearing for the machine-spindles, consisting of an annular conoidal rubber buffer, the elements of the surfaces of which when produced pass outside of the center of oscillation of the spindle, combined with a counterpart conoidal collar on the spindle and a seating in the framing, substantially as described.

2. In centrifugal machines, an elastic buf- ,fer-bearing for the machine-spindle, consisting of a rubber buffer, in a plurality of parts, having as a whole an annular conoidal form, the elements of the surfaces of which when produced pass outside of the center of oscillation of the spindle, combined with a counterpart conoidal collar on the spindle and a seatirg in the framing, substantially as described.

3. In centrifugal machines, an elastic buffer-bearing for the machine-spindles, consisting of an annular conoidal rubber buffer, the elements of the surfaces of which when produced pass outside of the center of oscillation of the spindle, combined with a counterpart conoidal collar on the spindle and a seating IOO IIO

in the framing, and angles of the inner and to this specification in the presence of tWo suboutervconoidal surfaces o' tlhe buffer, znf of soribng Witnesses. the counterpart surface o t e seating, eI- ing from each other so that the thickness of f JAMES WRIGHT MAGFARLANE' 5 the buffer varies throughout, substantially as Witnesses:

described. WILFRED HUNLY',

In testimonT whereof I have signed myname GEORGE PATTERSON. 

